Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ had been the team's leadoff hitter for the majority of the first half of the season. Happ had found a home hitting leadoff, after hitting at every other spot in the lineup throughout his first eight years with the Cubs.
The veteran outfielder hit about .280 in early May before he suffered an oblique injury that put him on the injured list. Since his return, he's struggled at the plate. Happ's batting average dropped nearly fifty points to about .230 since his return, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell decided to move the veteran out of the leadoff spot.
Although the decision came amid Happ's struggles, another strategy was also behind it. Second baseman Nico Hoerner took over in the leadoff spot, where he typically hits in the lower third of the order. However, Hoerner is a hits machine with a .283 BA and a .331 OBP on the season.
Despite being moved out of the leadoff position, the calm, collected, Chicago fan favorite took the demotion like a pro. On Tuesday morning, Happ joined 670 The Score and revealed his thoughts on the decision.
"Nico has been super productive against lefties, obviously, Busch's been productive against everybody, but putting the lineup in a situation where the guys that are at the top the order, setting the stage for (Tucker) and (Seiya), PCA, and you know, for me, I'm comfortable in the middle of the order," Happ said. "I've hit in every spot in the lineup throughout my career, but, you know, being in the middle of the order, something that happened last year to where I got moved out of there and hit fifth for a couple months, and I was really productive in that spot.
"So, you know, whatever the team needs and however I can, you know, help this lineup mesh the best. That's that's what I'm going to do."
Happ is one of the longest-tenured Cubs on the roster and has been through adversity before. He's not worried about where in the lineup he hits, but rather focused on being productive wherever that is.
The Cubs' outfielder also went into detail on his recent struggles, and the conversation he had with his manager about the move.
"Yeah, I think just I hadn't been as productive as I wanted to be in that spot, still walking a bunch in that kind of three or four-week span. But not, not getting the hits. And it's, you know, one of those stretches, a tough one for me, where I wasn't striking out a ton, but the balls I was hitting just weren't falling," Happ said. "I didn't think the at-bats were bad. I didn't think it was, you know, kind of bad swings or ugly at-bats one after another, it was just every time I put the ball in play, I feel like it went to a fielder.
"Something that wasn't, wasn't like it was shocked me, you know. And you know, Craig and I have a great relationship. We've been together now for a year and a half, and so just understanding of, 'Yeah, man, I totally get making a change and switching it up a little bit, and trying to get somebody up there who can be a little bit more productive.' Not a tough conversation at all."
Happ was moved out of the leadoff spot for the final series before the All-Star break against the New York Yankees. After not starting the first game of the series, Happ went 3-7 in the last two games of the series, hitting in the seventh and sixth spots in the lineup, respectively.
The Cubs return from the All-Star break on Friday to face the red-hot Boston Red Sox. We'll see where Happ is hitting in the lineup, but the veteran outfielder will focus on productivity, regardless of which spot he's hitting from.
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